Balcony
by pacific firebrand
Summary: They have been next-door neighbors and friends all their lives. Now that college is looming, and their separation inevitable, is friendship all they’re gonna be holding on to…
1. Early Mornings

**Balcony (part one)**

Summary:They have been next-door neighbors and friends all their lives. Now that college is looming, and their separation inevitable, is friendship all they're gonna be holding on to…

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, just the idea…

"Alex, honey, it's time to wake up" Alex's mom said as she gently tapped her daughter's shoulder. Alex slowly opened her eyes and saw her mom's gleaming face. "Good Morning, mom" Alex softly said as she woke up. She pushed herself up and rubbed her eyes as she sat up. Her mom just smiled at her.

"I cannot believe how quickly you've grown…" Alex looked at her mom as she began her quick fix of the morning drama. "Mom…" Alex said as she looked at her mom. "It's not until a few more months…plus you and dad can always visit me in New York." Alex said as she comforted her mom. She didn't want to see her mom cry that early in the morning. "Plus, it's like being on tour…I go away a week…" Alex added. "But you'll be gone for months…" Alex held her mom's hand as she stopped her.

"I love you, mom…and being away for college won't change that…I'll always be your little girl…and I won't let you treat me otherwise." Alex said before she kissed her mom on the cheek. She smiled at her before she got up and went to her bathroom.

Alex stripped off her clothes and rolled it in a ball and threw it across the room to the pile of dirty clothes. She smiled as the clothes went in the basket. "Maybe I should change sport," Alex said as she walked through her walk-in closet and into her bathroom. She got in the shower and quickly cleaned herself. She's not like every other girl who takes a long while in the bathroom to do God-knows-what.

After ten minutes, she was back in her walk-in closet again with her hair in a quick bun and bathrobe on her. She had her underwear already when she went in the closet. She looked at her clothes and knew exactly was she was going to wear. She grabbed her plaid board shorts, a white spaghetti strapped shirt, a blue button down polo shirt and one of her sneakers that Adidas had given her. She took one of her sports sunglasses and a cap to complete the look.

Alex went back to her bedroom and opened the door to her balcony. She smiled as she saw Marissa, through her dimmer curtains, walking around her room and trying out what to wear. She watched and gave her 10 more minutes before she let Marissa know she was done already. "Just pick one!" Alex yelled from her side of the fence.

Marissa smiled at her reflection as she heard Alex tell her what to do. She turned around and saw Alex was already ready for school, as usual. She still couldn't decide on what to wear yet she was up 20 minutes before Alex did. Marissa walked to her balcony door as well and opened it after pushing the curtains to either side.

"No…stay inside…" Alex stopped her before Marissa could step out the balcony and let the whole world see her in her jeans and bra. Marissa halted and smiled even wider. "How come I woke up earlier than you and you finished earlier than me?" Marissa asked with a smile. "How do you know you woke up earlier than I did?" Alex tilted her head on the side and answered with a question.

Marissa narrowed her eyes and turned back around. She picked one of the Alex's favorite shirts. Marissa knew Alex would approve. "Does this shirt work?" Marissa said as she put it on and turned to face Alex. Alex smiled and remembered the shirt that Marissa 'borrowed' but never returned. "Hey I know that shirt…didn't it use to belong in my closet?" Alex joked and they both laughed. "You see, that's why your boyfriend is always mad at me…you borrowing my clothes and all…" Alex continued. "I don't think that's why he's always mad at you" Marissa fired back. "And what other reason would that be?" Alex asked. "Because he knows he'll always come second to you" Marissa answered back immediately.

Their laughter subsided and they just looked at each other for a while. Alex took a deep breath and broke the silence. "See that's why I don't have anybody with me…" "Why would that be?" Marissa was curious but deep down she wished she'd hear the reason again. "Because nobody can compare to you and what we have," Alex answered as honestly as she could.

Marissa felt her self blush but did a good job in hiding it. She had perfected it already after years of practice. Alex watched Marissa's reaction. They have been close friends and neighbor since childhood and have known each other better than anybody.

"So, you riding with me or Chris going to pick you up?" Alex said as she turned to the side of her balcony door and grabbed her bag that was near her. Marissa turned too and grabbed her bag for school. "I'm riding with him…you want to come with us?" Marissa said as she walked back near her balcony. "Do you want World War 3 to happen?" Alex answered back.

Alex never liked Chris even though her best friend was with him for almost a year and a half already. He was everything every parent would wish his or her daughters to be: handsome, smart and rich. But Alex knew Marissa deserved more than the life her parents want her to live. But she was going to let Marissa figure that one out for herself.

"I'll see you in school then." Alex said as she got back to the balcony after picking which car keys to get. She saw Marissa was disappointed that she didn't show much protest and/or jealousy that Marissa was not riding with her.

Alex and Marissa both closed their balcony doors and went their separate ways. Alex looked at the mirror one last time and went to the dining room to have breakfast. When she got downstairs, her mom had already fixed a plate of blueberry pancakes, eggs and freshly squeezed oranges.

"Good Morning Mom and Dad." Alex said as she got to one parent to the other and gave them both a kiss on the cheek. Alex sat in between her parents in the breakfast table. Her dad was reading the newspaper and her mom was still fixing her lunch. "I made your favorite Ham sandwich." Alex's mom said as she handed Alex her brown paper bag. "Thanks mom" Alex said as she got her lunch and placed it in her bag.

Alex's mom finally joined Alex and her dad for breakfast. After Alex's mom said grace, Alex's dad gave her mom a gentle squeeze on her hand. They smiled at each other and Alex just rolled her eyes. "I'm amazed how I'm an only kid" Alex said as she began eating her pancakes. "That's because when you were born, we had the best kid already…why would we try to top you?" Her dad answered. Alex smiled at her dad's response. She loved how her parents, after 22 years of being married, were still so in love.

"So about college…you've got accepted to all the schools you applied for?" Mr. Kelly asked his only daughter. "Yes dad, NYU, USC, Berkeley, Cornell, Columbia and Harvard" "Which one are you taking?" Her dad asked again. "Hmmm…I'm still thinking about it but I'm leaning most on the east coast…US OPEN is near there already so I could concentrate both in school and tennis" Alex answered as she quickly finished her breakfast.

As Alex excused her self and got up, Chris honked his car horn for Marissa. The three looked at the direction where the noise had came from and then looked at each other. "That kid is trouble to Marissa…why haven't you done anything to stop it?" Mr. Kelly questioned. "Because it's her decision to make whether she'd stay with him or not" "But honey, you know he's just going to break her heart. He broke lots of heart in your school already. Marissa's your best friend…are you not going to spare her?" Alex's mom said after Alex spoke.

Alex took a deep breath and considered her parents suggestions. Everybody knew Chris was a heartbreaker but during the times when she saw Marissa with him, she saw her best friend was happy. Maybe it was blind happiness but it was happiness still. She couldn't bear to live with herself if she knew she had just taken Marissa's happiness away.

"I'll see what I can do," Alex said as she put her bag on her shoulder and proceeded to the back door. "Wait! Do you still have allowance, honey?" Mr. Kelly asked before Alex left. "I earned 15 million last year, I think I still have some money in the bank…" Alex joked. Her parents smiled at her and wished her good luck in school.


	2. Closed Doors

Thanks for all the feedbacks

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During lunch, Alex sat in the middle of the court and opened her brown paper bag. She was sitting on the lawn under a tree enjoying her lunch. She watched the rich kids gossip and talk about everyone and everything…clothes, cars, girlfriends, boyfriends and money were the usual topics they would talk about. She smiled when she realized that she and Marissa talk about more serious things like school, college, family and love.

"Hey you" Marissa said as she drew a shadow over Alex. Alex grinned before she turned to face Marissa but her smile turned upside down when she saw Chris holding Marissa beside her.

"Oh you" Alex said as she brushed him off. She never liked him and she never will. Her parents were right, he'd just end up breaking Marissa's heart but she couldn't do anything about it.

"Why can't you just be on tour all your life so you can leave me and my girl alone?" Chris said looking down at her. He was not looking for an answer and Alex was not giving him any. She kept her eyes on the people walking by them.

"Why can't you just sail away to the end of the word and leave me and my girl alone…" Alex whispered to her self as she looked everywhere but to them. "Did you say anything?" Chris asked Alex. Marissa rolled her eyes as another fight between her boyfriend and her best friend started again.

"Why can't you guys just get along…?" Marissa said as she held on tighter to Chris' arm. Alex looked at Marissa just as she did. Alex looked at Marissa's hold then to her best friend's eyes. Marissa showed her a shy smile. Alex just raised her eyebrow and got up.

"That's right, walk away Kelly" Chris said as Alex started walking away from them. Marissa frowned when Alex left without even saying a word to her. "She's lucky she's your best friend…" "Or what?" Marissa folded her arms and questioned her boyfriend. Chris walked closer to Marissa and kissed her. "We won't have to know that…unless she's not your best friend anymore…"

~o~o~o~

Alex was still deeply engrossed after two hours of hard training. She had a lot of anger in her and tennis was her perfect outlet. As her cool down exercise, the coach asked her to practice her serves, left and right. "Wow! Whatever you did this morning, keep doing it. I haven't seen you this motivated before." Alex just kept her focus on her service and let the anger inside of her run out.

"My best friend is sleeping with the biggest jerk in the world…" Alex said before serving another 100mph ball. "…and I can't do anything about it…" Alex continued before serving a faster ball with her left arm. "…because she loves him and I can't take that smile off her face" Alex finished as she served her final ball.

"Just kiss her and get it over with" Alex's coach suggested as he gave Alex her towel. Alex caught it and wiped her face then her arms dry. She sat and wiped her legs dry. "She's not gay" Alex said as she took off her shirt and changed into her jacket. "And so were you until you found out you like her" Alex stopped and looked at her coach. "You haven't had a boyfriend in 3 years and you haven't seen anybody seriously since then" the coach added.

"I am not interested in anybody" Alex fired back as she unlaced her shoe, took off her sox and wore her sandals. "Anybody but Marissa" "exactly" "And you're mad because he has her and you don't" "wrong!" Alex argued with her coach.

"I have her, he doesn't…the problem is she's too blinded by his greasy hair bouncing the sunlight to her eyes" Alex and her coach laughed at her remark. Alex got her keys from her bag and tossed it. It dropped to her hand and she winked at her coach.

"Okay, I'm going to say these because you're my only student and we've been partners through this for almost 4 years now…get laid! You're 18 and you're frustrated. It might be bad for you game but love is a good thing…just not in tennis" Her coach advised her before she could go to her car. Alex thought about it before saying good night.

~o~o~o~

Marissa leaned her back on a pile of pillow and was reading a book when she heard Alex park her car. She smiled and waited eagerly until Alex turned the light in her room on. She looked at her clock and after exactly 10 minutes, the light in Alex's room lit. Marissa opened her balcony door and watched Alex's shadow moved around in her room. She smiled as she saw Alex go towards her walk-in closet and take a quick bath.

Normally, after Alex takes a bath after training, she and Marissa would open their balcony and talk. Marissa sat on the lounge chair outside and waited for Alex to open her doors so they could talk. But Alex didn't open her door. After taking a bath, she turned off her lights and surrendered to her bed. She just looked at her ceiling and let her train of thought chug alone…

"I love you, Marissa…just leave him already and be with me" Alex said softly. She spent the whole year thinking and saying the same thing every night and every morning. She closed her eyes as she cursed herself for letting Marissa stay with Chris. She couldn't understand why Marissa still loved him even if Alex had caught him cheating and told her about it. "Why do you love him so much?" Alex asked her self again.

Alex's thoughts were interrupted when she heard her phone beeped. She looked at it and saw Marissa had sent her a text message. "What's wrong? Bad training?" The message was simple but full of concern. Alex closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "No…what's wrong is that I'm in love with you but you love him and I can't do anything about it" Alex talked to her self again. She pressed the reply button and typed her message.

~o~o~o~

Marissa sat on the edge of her bed looking at Alex's room as she waited for Alex's response. They always talk every night before they sleep…but recently, they have been missing those times mainly because of Alex's tour or Chris.

Marissa waited and waited. She was about to send Alex another message when her phone lit up and told her she had a message. "Open your door" Marissa read the message again. She looked at her balcony door, it was open, but Alex's was closed. That's when she realized Alex meant a different door. She immediately got up and rushed to her bedroom door.

When the doors opened, Alex was already there looking down. Marissa watched her for a minute before Alex moved and looked at her. She took a deep breath and stepped inside. She cupped Marissa's face and looked at her for any restraint…but there was none. She closed the door with her foot, leaned in and closed her eyes.

Alex felt the softness of Marissa's lips. It was sweetest she had tasted and she enjoyed every moment of it. She felt Marissa tense up at the contact but slowly eased in to the kiss. She pulled Alex closer to her by her waist.

Marissa was the one to break the kiss when she realized what they were doing. Alex looked at Marissa and Marissa returned her gaze. They both faked a smile. "Leave him and be with me…I love you…" Alex said honestly. They both knew they were perfect for each other but nobody really made a move…until now. Marissa opened her mouth to speak but stopped. Marissa removed the smile off her face. Alex looked to her side, stepped back and took a deep breath.

"Alex…" "Stop!" Alex interrupted Marissa before she could say anymore. The look in Marissa's eyes already gave Alex more than she wanted to know…she still picked Chris. Alex opened the door and closed the door behind her. Marissa just leaned on the wall and looked towards Alex's balcony door. The lights never turned on for the rest of the night.


	3. You Have Yours, I Have Mine

**THANKS FOR ALL THE WORDERFUL FEEDBACK**

And sorry for all the errors

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Alex had been training non-stop since Marissa picked Chris over her. Every free time she had, morning or evening, she'd go to training so she had an excuse to avoid Marissa. It was draining Alex down but it beats dealing with rejection.

After another whole weekend of training, her arms were sore and her legs were killing her already. She hurriedly opened her bedroom door and threw the keys on the side table by the door. She dropped her racket bag and her training bag on the floor and slumped face down on her bed.

"So that's it…you're just going to avoid me forever." Alex shot open her eyes and realized Marissa was in the same room as she is. She looked around first to make sure it was her room before she pushed herself up and turned on her bed. Marissa was standing by the archway of the walk-in closet with her hands crossed around her.

"Don't you live on the other side of the fence?" Alex said as she sat up and shook her fatigue off. Marissa rolled her eyes and surrendered. As much as she was upset with Alex ignoring and avoiding her for two weeks, she still missed her best friend terribly.

"I miss my best friend" Marissa confessed. She walked to the foot of the bed and grabbed a post on Alex's bed. Alex took a deep breath and just looked at Marissa. She missed her best friend too.

"Are you still with him?" Alex asked. She knew the answer to that but she just wanted to make sure and convince herself to stand by her decision. "This is not about Chris" Marissa started. "This is between us and that kiss" Marissa finished.

"What kiss? I've forgotten all about it" Alex pretended. She had spent all her nights reminiscing about the kiss. Alex had made the first move and kissed her. When Marissa made her move and picked Chris, their fates was sealed.

"Well, if you have forgotten all about it, I haven't, ok?!" Marissa said as she sat and looked at Alex deeply. "I spent the entire two weeks thinking about it and dreaming about it…but I love him." "Do you love me?" Alex interrupted Marissa.

Marissa just looked at Alex and smiled shyly. Alex wanted to hear Marissa say it but Marissa just couldn't bring herself to say it. "We have a great friendship-" "oh here we go" "-and I don't want to ruin it" "You don't want to make it better either." Alex finished. She was not even trying to hide her disappointment. "Well, I love you…and I thought you love me too…" Alex conceded. She lay on her back and focused her attention on her ceiling. Marissa smiled and move to the other side of the bed. She lay on her stomach and looked at Alex.

"So am I going to see you tonight at dinner?" Marissa asked. Alex thought about the dinner and complete forgot that it was Marissa's parents' anniversary. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I don't know what to wear. Is it like formal dinner or just hanging out dinner?" Alex asked keeping her eyes off Marissa who was teasingly close to her…on her bed.

"We are talking about my parents here…" Marissa answered Alex. "You're right. I guess I have to cancel my date then." Alex said trying to sound obvious and at the same time apathetic. Marissa pushed herself up and, immediately, her jealousy came up.

"You planned a date for tonight?" "I did mention that I have forgotten all about it, right?" Alex questioned back. She liked the hint of jealousy in Marissa's voice. "Is she from school?" Marissa was extremely curious. "Let me see…have you seen her? I don't know…just this model I worked with in last week's photo shoot for Calvin Klein." Alex answered. "Is he handsome?" Alex shook her head at Marissa's question. "No…but she's pretty." Alex finished.

Marissa just looked at Alex who had a smile on her face. She wanted to wipe it off her face and make Alex break the model's heart. "Maybe I'll bring to her dinner. Do you think they'll mind?" Alex asked Marissa as she looked at her. Alex could see the jealousy in Marissa's face and she loved it.

"No! It's RSVP." Marissa fired back. "Then I guess, I'm not invited too…cause I didn't RSVP." Alex stood up and walked towards the closet. She remembered she had just come from training. She smiled when she remembered Marissa was standing there waiting for her to come back knowing that showering was the first thing she did after training.

"I RSVPed for you." Marissa yelled as Alex got lost in the bathroom. Alex took off her warmers and rolled it in a ball. She threw it in the basket and it went it. "Is Chris going to be there?" Alex asked before stepping in the shower. Marissa took a deep breath before answering. She knew Alex would say something back to even the score. "Yes…I invited him…but I can uninvited him if you want…"

"You don't have to do that. I'll just go there after my date with Monica." "You're still going out with her?" Marissa protested. "You don't want me canceling last minute, right?" Alex said loudly as the water from the shower crashed onto her. Marissa started walking in the closet to the bathroom.

She stopped when Alex almost bumped into her. "I'll just call and surprise her. We're starting early so I can still wish your parents 20 more years." Alex said as she scanned her new pile of free clothes. Marissa just nodded. She was completely engulfed by Alex's scent and that wet look she had.

Marissa shook her daze off and turned to walk out of Alex room. Alex nodded and smiled arrogantly. Her plan to make Marissa jealous seems to be working.

~o~o~o~

During the anniversary dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Kelly and Mr. and Mrs. Cooper were talking to each other. "I heard Alex is now ranked #4 in the tour." Julie said as she sipped her wine. "Yes but college is fast coming so I wouldn't think she'll do better than 4 for the next 4 years." Alex's dad answered. "It's always been school first before tennis." Alex's mom followed.

Marissa and Chris then joined in their mini circle. Marissa greeted her parents then Alex's parents. "Hey Marissa, we haven't seen you in a while…you and Alex okay?" Alex's mom asked. Chris just rolled his eyes and tried not to listen. Both of Alex's parents noticed Chris reaction and they smiled proudly at each other. They were both hesitant at first with Alex's orientation but, as time passed, they have accepted it…especially now that the apple of Alex's eye was Marissa.

"She's been avoiding me but we talked already. She said she was going to be here but I haven't seen her yet." Marissa answered as she looked around for her best friend. The dinner was about to start but Alex was still not there yet

"You invited her here?" Chris whispered in Marissa's ear. Marissa just looked at him irritated and continued looking for Alex. "Speaking of the devil…" Chris spotted Alex first and smiled when he saw Alex had brought a date to the dinner.

"Mom, Dad…I'd like you to meet Monica" Alex introduced her first to her parents. Monica kissed both the cheeks of Alex's parents and Alex's parents smiled at Monica. Alex smiled then turned to face the other four.

"Mon, I'd like you to meet Mr. Jimmy and Mrs. Julie Cooper" Monica then greeted Marissa's parents the same way she greeted Alex's. She kissed them both on their cheeks and then smiled at them. "And she's Marissa Cooper. My very best friend." Monica got closer to her to kiss both of Marissa's cheeks but Marissa stopped her. She pushed her away and stepped back. Monica just settled for a hand wave and a smile.

"I think everybody's hungry now, why don't we find our seats and eat," Jimmy suggested. Jimmy and Julie led the way to their back yard and revealed a well-designed party reception. "Um, Mrs. Cooper, it's okay if I take a seat away from my parents…I didn't RSVP for two so we'll be fine at any available seats" Alex said as they followed Julie to their reserved table.

"Nonsense, we can fit Monica in our table. It's an even number seat arrangement anyway so I'm sure I can find a seat for Monica" Julie said as she pointed Alex's parents to their seat. Julie gave Alex and Monica their seats across Marissa and Chris. Alex held the chair for Monica and helped her get situated on her seat before sitting beside the model. Marissa glared at Monica as she watched her best friend have a private conversation with the model.

"How many girls have you brought to your parents?" Monica asked. "You mean besides my best friend? None…" Alex smiled. "How many girls have you brought to your best friend?" Monica followed. "None as well" Alex answered. "That's why she's giving me the death glare." Monica nudged to Marissa's direction and Alex followed. Marissa and Alex looked at each other. Marissa immediately looked away and Alex just smiled.

"I cannot believe it's been twenty years." Jimmy started. "In a couple of months, the kids will be off to college." Julie added. "I know, I was just talking to Alex about it" "Mom…" Alex pleaded her mom to stop. Mrs. Kelly just smiled and continued. "As I was saying…" Alex just shook her head and hid her face behind Monica. Monica just smiled and listened to Alex mom as she continued. "I'll miss my baby." Alex's mom finished leaving her daughter blushing. Monica kissed Alex on the cheeks to make her feel better. It did. And it left Marissa livid.

"Marissa, where are you going to go to college?" Alex's dad inquired. "I'll be going to UC Berkeley, Mr. Kelly" Marissa politely answered. "How about you, Alex, where you off to college?" Julie asked Alex in return. "I really don't know yet, Mrs. Cooper. I passed NYU, USC, Berkeley, Cornell, Columbia and Harvard…but I don't know which one to pick…" Alex looked at Marissa, begging her to make that decision for her.

"Maybe you should go to Columbia…so you can stay away from me and Marissa." Chris just had to ruin the moment. Marissa rolled her eyes and gave her boyfriend the look. "I was thinking of going to Columbia, as a mater of fact…" Alex fired back. "You were?" Marissa asked.

Alex took a sip of her drink and explained "Well, yeah…I'll be in New York…easier for me to still continue my tennis. Unless I find a reason to go elsewhere…I think New York is my place." Alex said as she hinted at Marissa.

"Thank God for that!" Chris exclaimed. Alex just smirked at him then looked at Marissa again. Monica watched how Alex looked at the girl in front of her and gently stroked her hand. Alex took her eyes off Marissa then looked at Monica. Monica stared deeply at Alex eyes and slowly leaned in for a short sweet soft kiss.

"Hmmm" Monica moaned after they separated. Alex still had her eyes closed from the kiss as Monica moved away. The model raised an eyebrow at Marissa and smiled proudly at her self. Marissa was gritting her teeth at the girl stealing Alex away from her. Chris smiled at what Monica did as well then looked at Marissa. He leaned in as well but Marissa pushed him away.

"Alex…the food is ready" Monica whispered softly on Alex's ear. Alex took in Monica's scent and was completely overwhelmed in it. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Monica was still close enough for her to kiss without moving much. So she did. She caught Monica off guard but soon Monica eased into the kiss. Monica cupped Alex face as Alex slowly ran her hand on Monica's smooth thighs under the table.

"Okay you two!" Alex dad interrupted. Alex and Monica smiled into their kiss and separated. "Sorry" Alex said as Monica leaned her forehead on Alex shoulder to hide. "Yeah, you should be!" Marissa couldn't help it. Alex slowly took the smile of her face. She knew she had gone too far with her game…but there was something in that kiss that just left Alex wanting more.


	4. Confessions

Alex was on the phone walking around campus until she sat on the spot she always stays in during lunch. Monica and Alex had been talking for a week now on the phone and Alex's bill was soaring off limits since the model has returned back to Brazil. Alex was in the middle of their conversation when Marissa stood in front of her blocking the view.

"That sounds like fun! So listen…I have to go…something came up." Alex looked at Marissa then signaled for a minute. Marissa just rolled her eyes. "Yeah…that's exactly it. So I'll see you this weekend?" Alex waited for an answer. "Great! Call you again later. Bye." Alex smiled as she listened to Monica. She smiled wider before she put the phone down and placed it securely in her pocket.

"She's your girlfriend now?" Marissa asked annoyed. Alex looked up at Marissa and just smiled. Ever since that dinner, Marissa has been asking about her and Monica a lot…which meant more time away from Chris…which Alex was happiest about. "You have yours, I have mine." Alex said as she patted the space beside her. Marissa took a deep breath and folded. She couldn't stay mad at Alex long enough to hide her jealousy.

"Where's Chris? Haven't seen him in days…" Alex asked honestly. Even though they had their differences, she still had to admit, Marissa was happy with him. Alex held her gaze on Marissa as she waited for an answer. Marissa just shrugged and took a deep breath. "He's with his friends." Marissa answered.

Alex heard the pain in her voice and placed a hand gently on Marissa's knee. "He still treating you well, or do I have to get my tennis racket and beat him with it?" Alex tried to lighten the mood. "It's just…he's not…we're not spending that much time together anymore…" Marissa answered as she took a deep breath again. She then looked at Alex and continued. "…like we, you and I, are not spending that much time together." Alex felt guilty.

"I know…I'm sorry." Alex confessed. "Really? Because you look so happy while you were talking on the phone while here I am feeling alone." Marissa bitterly said. Alex let Marissa throw her anger at her. "You're training a lot…more than you used to…and we normally talk to each other first thing in the morning and then late at night…now every time I see you, your phone is stuck to you ear." Marissa threw her frustrations. Alex just bowed her head and listened to every word.

"Plus…you don't even act like you miss me…" Marissa said softly as she looked away. Alex looked up and saw Marissa had turned her face away from her. "Of course I miss you." Alex replied honestly. Marissa felt a tear fall from her eyes. She turned to face Alex. Alex saw the stain on her cheeks and her heart quickly sank. She cupped Marissa's face and wiped the tear away with her thumb.

"I'm sorry I made you cry." Alex apologized. Marissa laughed softly then held the hand that was cupping her face. She kissed Alex's palm and leaned more into Alex's hand. They smiled sweetly at each other.

"So, you're going to break up with her now?" Marissa asked bluntly. Alex studied Marissa's eyes to see if she was kidding but Marissa wasn't. "Because that's all she was, right? Somebody to make me jealous…" Marissa tried to convince herself. "Well, I'm jealous…" Alex smiled. She felt Marissa was going to admit her feelings for her. "…I want my best friend back. I need my best friend…" Marissa watched as Alex slowly turned the smile upside down.

Alex took back her hand, grabbed her brown paper bag and stood up. Alex turned around and walked away shaking her head. Marissa quickly stood up and walked after Alex. "Was there something I said?" Marissa called out for Alex. Alex quickly turned around and walked towards Marissa. She stopped inches away from Marissa before she spoke. "You don't get it, do you?" Alex started with her eyes glaring. "I LOVE YOU" Alex said every word one by one and with all her heart. "I want you to be with me…" "I do want to be with you" Marissa interrupted. Alex just shook her head and looked down. When she looked up, Marissa saw the one sight she was afraid of seeing. "I can't be JUST your best friend."

Alex let the tear fall from her eyes. Marissa never saw Alex shed a tear over something and Alex knew that. She kept all her pain inside so Marissa would not see her crying…but Alex couldn't keep what's inside her heart anymore. "And if being JUST your best friend is all you want from me…then I can't give you that. I can't stand here and pretend that you're JUST my best friend…'cause you're not! You are the one my heart beats for and every time you tell me I'm just your best friend…I lose hope…and hearing you say that now, I lost hope…if you won't let me love you, then I can't be around you anymore" Alex pleaded one last time for Marissa to make a move. She closed her eyes and waited for Marissa to kiss her

…but the kiss never happened.

Alex opened her eyes then looked to her right side. "Alex…" Marissa tried to explain but Alex had enough. She knew the words Marissa had for her will only hurt her. So she turned around and walked away as swiftly as the tears fell from her eyes. Marissa watched as Alex wiped the tears from her eyes, even if she had her back on her, and she felt the deepest pain in her heart.

"Alex…don't leave me…" Marissa said softly as her voice broke with her heart.

~o~o~o~

"Mom…I need to talk to you." Alex peaked into her mom's room while her mom was reading the latest Vogue. Alex's mom put the magazine down and looked at her daughter. "It sounds serious, honey. Come here…" Alex slowly opened the door and as soon as she stepped in, the tears started to fall.

"Oh honey." Mrs. Kelly quickly stood up and walked to meet her daughter. Alex immediately buried her face on her mom's shoulder and completely broke down. "I love her…" Alex said between sobs. Mrs. Kelly held her daughter tighter. Her heart broke as she felt Alex crush. "I thought she loved me back" "Oh baby…I'm sorry" Mrs. Kelly tried to console her daughter.

Mrs. Kelly held Alex patiently as Alex cried her eyes out. As Alex slowly retreated and wiped her tears, her mom studied her. "I hope this doesn't ruin your friendship with her." Mrs. Kelly wished sincerely…Marissa was like a daughter to her. "I know…" Alex said softly.

~o~o~o~

It was already 10 o'clock in the evening when Marissa arrived home. She took her time to think about what had happen that afternoon. As she approached her house, she slowed down and glanced at Alex's house. The lights were all off. By now, Alex had finished her homework and submitted to sleep already. She's been training nonstop and when there's training, there's a curfew from her coach. 'She's always been the disciplined one' Marissa thought to herself.

She parked her car on their driveway and walked to their door. After the somewhat long trip to her bedroom, she looked at her balcony and noticed that the door was open; the wind picking up the curtains as it blew; the moonlight illuminating a part of her room. She placed her keys on the side table of her bed and proceeded to the balcony door. As she was approaching it, the wind blew the curtains again and Marissa saw Alex lying on the ledge of Alex's balcony. Alex had her attention on the stars whining down on her.

"Alex, you're gonna fall" Marissa rushed and walked to her balcony. Alex just kept her position. "Too late for that" Alex said back. Her voice was normal and as emotionless as she could.

Marissa immediately dreaded her opening line. She hung her head and stayed silent until a great thought crossed her mind. She smiled then bravely sat on the ledge as well. She faced Alex and waited until Alex said something.

But Alex never did. She just kept stoic and deep in her thoughts. Marissa's smile slowly faded as her hopes of Alex starting a conversation with her ran out. "What? You're not scared that I would fall…" Marissa dared Alex. Alex just desolately smiled and challenged back. "If you are ever going to fall, you should have fallen by now…but since you haven't, that'll mean you're only gonna stay that way until you make a move." Alex said without moving anything else but her mouth.

Marissa felt even worse. Nothing she says or does worked on Alex. She took in a deep breath and finally conceded. "About this afternoon…" Marissa started, but Alex interrupted and finished the sentence for her. "You were right. We have a great friendship…there is no use jeopardizing that." Alex then sat up, straddled the ledge and looked to her side at Marissa.

When they laid eyes on each other, Marissa knew what Alex was going to say and what she had decided to already. She looked down and broke the eye contact. She couldn't look at Alex's eyes anymore as Alex continued. "I woke up this morning and I asked God for a sign…if I should keep listening to my heart or if I should do the more grown-up and logical decision." Alex took a deep breath and waited until Marissa looked at her again.

It took a while before Alex continued. "I confirmed my slot at Columbia. I'll be going there for college" "You won't come with me to Berkeley?" Alex shook her head and answered, "it'll be better for our friendship." Alex and Marissa locked eyes again. After a while of silence, Alex turned her back at Marissa and returned back inside her bedroom.

"So that's it? Your logical decision is to stay away from me for the whole of college?" Marissa said before Alex could get back in the room. Alex stopped in her place and waited for Marissa to continue. "We used to always talk about everything…made decisions together…" Marissa finished.

Alex turned and faced Marissa. "Can we just pretend that the kiss never happened?" Alex pleaded to herself more than to Marissa. Marissa just looked at her and let her eyes swell up. She looked to her side and nodded. She quickly wiped the tears as they fell. Alex held her ground and watched wretchedly as the love of her life cried in front of her.


	5. Game

**THANKS FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS**

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Alex was buried in a week worth of homework, projects and readings to do since she missed school because of another tournament (which she luckily won this time beating Sharapova in the finals). She stayed in the library until way over the final bell for the day's classes, keeping her eyes buried in mountains of books, until somebody sat across her.

"Congratulations on your win." Alex looked up and saw a familiar face. "Jessica" Alex greeted the girl bitterly. Jessica has been biting Marissa's ass ever since Alex's best friend won the Social Chair. Alex returned to her readings and continued what she was doing before she got interrupted. "I bit my nails watching the 4th set tie break." Alex listened as Jessica reiterated the week she just had. "What was the score 18 – 16?" "19 - 17" Alex corrected. "I was a little off" Jessica said as she batted her eyelashes at the tennis star.

Alex closed her book slowly as she realized she was not going to have her moment of silence. "What do you want Jess?" Alex said as she leaned back on her chair and crossed her arm. "Same thing I've wanted since 10th grade" Jessica started. "I'm not going on a date with you" Alex finished. Jessica leaned back on her chair and mimic Alex's reaction. "I've been asking you for a year and you keep telling me no. What makes you think saying no now will change that?" Jessica raised an eyebrow like the way Alex always did.

Alex kept her position and never moved a muscle. They sat on a standstill until somebody else joined in on their staring contest. Marissa had been watching from afar for a good long while now. "She said no a million times, Jessica." Marissa interrupted their silence. She grabbed a seat and moved beside Alex. She sat near Alex and mimic Alex's reaction as well.

"I missed last year's prom because I only wanted to go if I'm with Alex. I still feel the same and I guarantee I'll be going to this prom with you" Jessica said as she looked at Alex, smiled proudly then stood up. Alex watched her as she walked away. Marissa just looked at Alex infuriated.

"Are you going to ask her to go to the prom with you?" Marissa asked. "She's been asking me out for over a year…it's just one date." "To somebody who is trying to be me…same car, same clothes, being social chair…it is not a coincidence that we like the same things…" "…not all the same things." Alex interrupted Marissa after Marissa interrupted her. Marissa then softened up when she realized something.

"We like ALL the same things" Marissa said slowly and clearly. She blushed and waited for an answer. Alex smiled and started packing her bag. It was the first time Marissa had given Alex some sort of a sign since Alex had stopped pursuing two weeks ago.

Marissa watched as Alex stood up and carried her backpack on one shoulder. "Do you need a ride home?" Alex asked as if she had completely missed Marissa's last statement. "Well?" Alex asked again knowing that she was making Marissa crazy by not giving her any sign of a reaction.

Marissa rolled her eyes and stood up. Alex picked up Marissa's bag and put it on her other shoulder. Marissa stood up and walked beside her. "You're gonna go out with her" Marissa could not believe it. She watched as Alex smiled silently. "Marissa, if you don't want me to go out with her, all you have to do is say it."

Marissa then stopped after Alex finished. Alex stopped as well and she looked at Marissa. Marissa had her head bowed down and Alex knew she was thinking very carefully about her next move. When Marissa looked up, she saw Alex patiently waiting for her to say something.

"I don't want you to go out with her…not on a date and not during prom" Marissa said carefully, wanting Alex to also know the meaning she hid behind her words. Alex's eyes beamed and she smiled. She offered her hand and said, "I won't go out with her on a date and during prom." Marissa grinned from ear to ear. She looked down again stopped herself from jumping for joy. "Come on, I have to go home and study. I have a lot of catching up to do."

~o~o~o~

It was 12mn already and Marissa still couldn't sleep. She tossed a pillow to the floor and that's when she noticed that a light was coming from her balcony dimmer. She slowly sat up and walked gradually to her balcony door. She peaked outside and saw Alex was still in front of her computer, typing something. Alex was deep in thought that she didn't even realize Marissa was watching her from the other side.

Marissa observed silently as the light from Alex's computer illuminated her tanned face. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she stared at her. When Alex had run out of stuff to put in her paper, she looked outside her own balcony door and was pleasantly surprised when she saw Marissa watching her. She saved her document and stood up. Marissa's heart started beating faster as Alex made her way to her balcony.

"Can't sleep?" Alex teased. Marissa quickly fired back. "Light from my balcony door keeping me up" They both smiled at each other. "I didn't mean to keep you up" Alex said seriously as their laughter subsides. Marissa just smiled sweetly and shook her head. "But something's keeping you up…" Alex asked concerned. She grabbed a tennis ball from her pocket and tossed it to Marissa. "I got you the winning ball. I wrote something on it a while ago." Marissa caught it and read the note on it.

_Thank you for making a move_

Marissa smiled even wider and her heart skipped a beat. "I missed you the whole week" Marissa said as she looked back at Alex. Alex took in a deep breath out of exhaustion from all the studying. "Yeah? What did you do while I was gone? I haven't seen Chris for a while…" Marissa just rolled her eyes and threw the ball back. Alex smiled wider and caught the ball as it fell short towards her.

"Way to stop the momentum, Alex…" Marissa turned around and closed the balcony door behind her. She dropped to her bed and waited for Alex's next move. Just when she was about to give up and submit to sleep, her phone beeped once. She smiled as she read the short message.

_I missed you too_

_-A_

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_THANKS for reading_

_please please please send in your reviews…_

_no matter how simple it may be_

_I love reading them_


	6. Set

_**YOU GUYS ROCK!!!**_

_**Thanks for all the amazing and wonderful reviews**_

_**I hope I keep you guys entertained with this story until it ends…**_

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The week went by quickly and soon it was a Friday again. It was the final months of school and prom was only two weeks away. Alex had been asked a lot by boys and girls to be their date at the prom but they were all kindly rejected by her. Now that she had given up on a romantic relationship with Marissa, she was unsurprisingly enjoying her single life again…only focusing on school and tennis.

Marissa, however, was having problems with being a couple. She and Chris had barely seen each other. He hasn't even asked her yet to the prom. "I suppose he's not going to ask me to be his date since I'm his girlfriend and that qualifies me already." Marissa said as she sat with Alex during their lunch break. Alex just rolled her eyes as the subject turned from interesting to plain old boring.

"He should still ask you…if there's a bit of politeness left in him…" Alex said impassively. She didn't care much about Chris. In fact, ever since Alex had given up, she would lose interest in anything that concerned love.

Marissa caught Alex's disinterest and smiled. _Maybe she's hasn't given up entirely._ Marissa thought to herself. She moved their lunch to the side as Marissa positioned herself so she could lay her head on Alex's thigh as they stayed under Alex's tree. Alex stroked Marissa's hair absently as they watched the people walk pass them…all but one.

"Alex!" Alex and Marissa looked to the right and saw Jessica coming up to them. Marissa rolled her eyes and went back to her position but Alex half-welcomed Jessica's company. "Jess" Alex said without putting any emotion in it. "I take it you're gonna pick me up 7pm two Saturdays from now…" Alex kept her eyes on the square and answered Jessica. "Okay" Alex answered.

Jessica and Marissa were shocked at Alex's response. Marissa sat up and looked at Alex then Jessica. Jessica had a huge smile on her face as she looked at Alex's best friend. "Okay?" they both said in unison. Alex was unyielding. She didn't move any muscle other than what she needed for breathing, her heart beating and her mouth answering back. "But there's one problem…I'm not going" Alex said coldly. She never liked Jessica. She didn't hate her but she doesn't like the fact that Jessica has been competing with Marissa almost at everything…probably her as well.

It was now Marissa's turn to smile widely back as Jessica retreated hers. Jessica just looked at Marissa and narrowed her eyes. Marissa loved every second of Jessica's rejection. Jessica turned to leave but Alex knew she would fight another day. She was just like a fly that you just can't seem to swat away.

When Jessica left, the bell sounded after a while. Marissa got up and Alex followed her. They dusted both their butts and walked beside each other to their lockers. "So…you're really not going?" Alex just shook her head to the question. Marissa thought about her possible options and decided to act upon it. "What if we go together?" Marissa uttered. Alex looked at her with her shock expression. _Why is she looking at me like that? What did I say? _Marissa thought for a while then figured out that she was thinking put loud. "But not really together" she quickly said back. She took a deep breath and continued. "We'll go stag…together" "Sure…except you're not…you're the girlfriend remember? So that 'qualifies' you as his automatic date that Saturday." Alex said after Marissa spoke.

"So I'll say no" Marissa surprised Alex and herself. She was beginning to be independent and stand on her own without Chris. "I don't think he'll like that." Alex warned Marissa. "Well, screw him for making me wait this long." Marissa fired back. "You probably did already…" Alex said hiding the pain in her voice.

"So it's settled then…you _AND _me together at the prom." Marissa said as they stopped outside their classroom. "Except we're not together" Alex continued, this time she was less successful hiding her gloom.

~o~o~o~

Alex came home and her mom greeted her at the door. Alex saw that they had guest in their house so Alex said hello and shook everybody's hand. Her mom followed her to her room and had their usual after school talk. "How was your day, honey?" her mom asked. "Marissa asked me to go to a prom with her"

Alex's mom practically jumped for joy. "I reckon you said yes this time…you haven't accepted any offers from anyone yet…" "She made that decision for us, mom. I had no say about it." Alex said after her mom. "But you could have said no" Mrs. Kelly fired back.

Alex took a deep breath and sat on the edge of her bed. She looked outside her balcony door and saw Marissa was not in her room yet. "I couldn't say no to her…" Alex confessed. Mrs. Kelly placed a supporting hand on Alex's shoulder and made Alex look at her. "Maybe this is the chance she's been waiting for…" Alex considered it but felt that it might have been too late already.

"Or it could be just a game for her." Mrs. Kelly felt the disappointment in her daughter. "I mean…she asked me out after Jessica asked me." Alex continued. She laid her back on her bed and massaged the bridge of her nose.

"You've given up." Mrs. Kelly concluded. Alex stopped massaging the bridge of her nose, got quiet for a while and nodded. "But what about that day when you came back? When she made her move…" the optimist in Mrs. Kelly showing.

Alex considered it but her stubbornness got the best of her. "Some times mom, you just have to give up and let it go…accept that it's never going to happen"

~o~o~o~

Marissa returned home after spending some time with Chris. Chris still hasn't asked her to the prom and a part of her was relieved. She knew she wouldn't be able to reject him…plus she really did want to go to the prom with Alex.

_PROM WITH ALEX_

Marissa smiled at the thought. She rushed to her balcony to talk to Alex about it. When she got there, she called out for her best friend. "Alex!" Marissa said out loud. She listened as the lock from Alex's balcony door clicked open. She bit her lip in anticipation.

"Where have you been?" Alex started. "Around…so listen, about prom-" "with boyfriend Chris?" Alex said distantly. Marissa immediately took the smile off her face and took offense to what Alex said. Alex regretted what she said.

"Sorry…had to ask…pessimist" Alex apologized. Alex sat on the ledge again and looked at Marissa. "You know, if you weren't my best friend, you wouldn't get off that easy" Marissa forgave Alex. She leaned on one side of the doorframe and smiled.

"So I was thinking…maybe we can go prom dress shopping tomorrow together" Marissa started again. Alex sighed. She never liked situations where she would just embarrass herself…and trying out dresses would do that. "Do you really need me for that?" Alex protested. Marissa just giggled at Alex's reaction. She loved it when Alex squirmed in fear of public humiliation.

"You play tennis with skorts on and you're embarrassed about trying out a few dresses with fewer number of people watching?" Marissa grilled her best friend. She missed their little cute arguments that just brought out the best in their relationship.

"Tennis is different" "How so?" "Because I don't care about who I impress." They fired back in quick succession. Marissa blushed at Alex's final words. "You care about impressing me?" Marissa wanted Alex to flirt with her again the way she used too. It made her feel great…with butterflies in her stomach and her heart skipping beats.

"Well…I don't want to look like a fool in front of you…" Alex said sincerely. She may have given up on trying to be with Marissa…but she never let her feelings for her go away either.

"You don't have to impress me" Marissa said softly. "Of course I do" Alex spoke immediately. They looked at each other and smiles crept on their faces.

"So…pick me up at 5?" Marissa asked nervously. Alex narrowed her eyes and wondered. "Is this like a date?" Alex questioned Marissa's motives. Marissa let out a quick breath. "Except it's not…just two best friends looking for a prom dress…and maybe, if we get hungry, have a nice dinner together" Marissa said hopeful. Alex looked down and her smile grew exponentially. She held her chuckle and nodded her head. She looked up and answered "okay."

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_**as always**_

_**please please PLEASE send in your feedback**_

_**I love reading them, they make me post earlier**_


	7. Match

**Once again, I'd like to thank everybody who read my story**

**You are all awesome!**

**A/N: this is by far my favorite chapter/part of the story…you guys will have to read it to know why…******

**I'll get you to it**

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Alex was in her 3rd hour of her strokes training and she was exhausted already. "Is my favorite tennis player getting some already? You seemed so out of it." Alex coach asked her. She sat down and grabbed her towel from her bag. She wiped her face then her forearms then her face again. She took her cap off and finished a bottle of Gatorade.

"I think I have a date later…" Alex doubted the thought of having a 'date'. Her coach nudged at her and began teasing the teen. "Who is the lucky guy…or girl…you're good at both sides anyway." "I'm guessing you mean my tennis swings, right?" Alex and her coach tried to out do the other.

"No, seriously. Who are you going out with?" Her coach asked more seriously. They started to pack up their things in their bags. "Marissa" Alex said unexcitedly. Her coach stopped walking but Alex kept her stride. "Marissa? _The _Marissa Cooper that you had been madly in love with…" her coach wanted to make sure. " '_HAD BEEN'_ being the operative words there…yup! She's the one" Alex answered as she got in her Jaguar. She pressed the button for the top of her car to drop.

Her coach then leaned on the car door. "She finally said yes, huh" "More like I did" Alex answered as she pulled the handbrake. "She asked you out?" Her coach couldn't believe it. Neither did she…Alex nodded her head in response.

"Why aren't you jumping for joy?" Her coach noticed her disinterest. Alex took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm tired. 3 hours of hard training…I just won a tournament, you know…" Alex fired back trying to avoid the topic already.

Her coach tapped her car a couple of times and nodded his head. "Okay…you better get ready for your date…it may be your only chance" Her coach teased her. Alex shook her head and smiled. She switched the gear to first and she was on her way.

~o~o~o~

Marissa opened the door to the Kelly's residence with the set of keys Alex had given her in cases of emergency…and her pseudo date with Alex was that kind of emergency. "Hello?" Marissa asked as she entered the empty reception hall. She looked around at huge room and saw the massive painting of Alex and her parents. She smiled as she set her eyes on her best friend.

"Marissa?" Mrs. Kelly said as she looked down from the second floor on top of the staircase. "Hello Mrs. Kelly." Marissa waved at Alex's mom. Alex mom quickly went down and hugged Marissa. "You haven't dropped by in weeks. How are you parents?" Alex's mom took Marissa by her arm and led her to the kitchen. They sat on the breakfast table and one of the Kelly helpers gave them fresh lemonades.

"They're okay Mrs. Kelly. They had lunch somewhere and Kaitlyn is out so I figured I'd stop by and say hi" Marissa answered after she thanked the young lady who just gave them their drinks. "Jane, can you please give us the fresh cookies that I made. Thank You" Jane nodded her head politely at Mrs. Kelly as she got back to the kitchen island and prepared their cookies in a plate.

"How are you and Mr. Kelly?" Marissa asked courteously. "We're great, honey. Robert's busy since he skipped work for a week so we could support Alex… but we're very proud of Alex. Have you eaten lunch, honey?" Mrs. Kelly offered. Marissa shyly shook her head and smiled. Mrs. Kelly smiled wider. "We're still waiting for Alex to come back from her training and then we'll have lunch."

"Can we have lunch now? You two can still talk about me while we're eating" Alex interrupted the two. She walked over to her mom and kissed her cheeks. "Hi, mom" Mrs. Kelly hugged her daughter and Alex hugged back.

"So what have you told my best friend that would embarrass me?" Alex joked. The three laughed as Alex got to the refrigerator and drank a glass of water. "Oh you know, the usual…baby stories…you peeing on your bed…pooping, burping…getting all muddy…" Marissa answered lightheartedly. Alex went back to them and sat on the seat in between the two.

~o~o~o~

After lunch…

"So…prom is coming up" "Oh here we go" Alex interrupted her mom before she embarrassed Alex. Marissa just laughed at the two. She hasn't stopped laughing ever since they had lunch. Alex mom practically told Marissa all the funny stories about Alex. Stories she had heard before for many times already but still found it funny. There was something in the way Alex's mom delivered the stories over and over again.

"Alex told me you asked her to the prom" "MOM!" Alex gave her mom the look. Marissa almost fell from her seat from laughing now. "Please ignore her now" Alex pleaded. She reached for Marissa's hand that was on the table instinctively as she spoke. Marissa immediately felt the sparks and her laughter subsided. She looked at their hands and felt the butterflies again. Alex looked at what Marissa was staring at and immediately retreated her hand.

"Sorry" Alex apologized. Mrs. Kelly smiled happily for the two. She got up and left the best friends by themselves. "I didn't mean to…" "It's okay" Marissa interrupted Alex as she continued talking. She wished Alex would reach for her hand once more but Alex never touched her again.

"You know, we can go look for prom dresses now if you want…I have nothing else to do besides take a quick shower." Alex offered as she helped Jane fixed the small table. "Maybe we can hang out in your room first and wait for 5pm." Marissa suggested.

"Sounds great! I'm tired as hell and I want to get some sleep before we get tired again from shopping. I know how you love shopping." Alex said as she stood up and waited for Marissa to stand up as well. When she did, they walked together to Alex's bedroom.

When they got inside, Alex immediately took off her shirt and threw it in the basket. Marissa just watched wide-eyed as Alex nonchalantly stripped in front of her. Alex didn't really mind…more like she forgot she was not alone in her room. She went inside her bathroom and started the shower. Marissa looked around Alex's room, looked over Alex's DVD collection and picked one. She looked for the remote, sat on the edge of the bed and pressed a button. The wall, in front of Alex's bed opened and revealed a huge HD TV. She opened the side table on the left of Alex's bed. She then put the DVD in the player and got comfortable on the left side of Alex's bed…her side of the bed.

"What are you watching?" Alex had gone back from her very quick shower and looked at the screen. "The Story of Us" Marissa answered as she looked at Alex. Alex had a Kobe Bryant's Jersey, with his signature and her boxer shorts. "Cool! Michelle Pfeiffer and Bruce Willis were good there…"

Alex said as she walked to her side of the bed, nearer to her balcony. She got the excess pillows that were on her side of the bed and placed them on the lounge chair near the balcony. She took off her bedroom slippers then got under the sheets. She laid on one side and faced Marissa. She smiled at her and spoke softly. "If I fall asleep, wake me up at 4:30, okay?" Alex said. Marissa looked down on her and nodded her head.

These were the moments that Marissa had with Alex that she didn't have with Chris. The quiet times where they were just all alone, doing or not doing something together. Both looked at the television and watched quietly. Alex moved closer to Marissa and moved her foot in search for a part of Marissa's foot. Marissa smiled as Alex's cold toes touched her. She felt a tingle as electricity went through her body.

"Your toes are cold" Marissa said. "Aren't they always?" Alex fired back. _It was always cold_ Marissa thought to herself and smiled even wider. When they had sleepovers when they were kid, until now, Alex would always search for Marissa's feet before she would fall asleep. She'd always say how cold Alex's toes were and Alex would always say those words back. Whenever Marissa moved and their toes loss contact, she'd always wake up and readjust her position so a part of their body would always touch…they always managed to find their way back together.

"Did I ever tell you how much I love your mom?" Marissa asked as the movie played. "She loves you too…probably more now than ever." Alex said while keeping her eyes on the screen. "She always picked your side every time we'd fight…some times I think she's your mom and Julie is my mom…like there was a baby swap in the hospital…but that was impossible. I'm older than you by 3 months." Alex continued as sleep slowly crept to her.

"Or we could be twins, we got separated at birth and our birth certificates were just fixed up so that it won't look that way." Marissa created a story. "Or that!" Alex agreed to Marissa's bogus suggestion. "Maybe that's why we're so close" "and why we couldn't get mad at each other longer than two hours" Alex finished Marissa's sentence.

Marissa started to giggle and Alex laughed softly. Alex's breaths were getting deeper and deeper. Her eyes could barely keep themselves open. "Thank God we're not twins…or related…" Marissa looked at Alex and saw that Alex had fallen asleep. She poked Alex's side, where she was ticklish and noticed that Alex didn't even move a single hair or muscle. Alex's breathing got deeper and deeper. Marissa watched as Alex's shoulder and diaphragm moved up and down. She tucked a stray hair from Alex's face behind her ear and looked at Alex's peaceful face. She always wore a smile as she slept beside Marissa.

"Hey Alex…you up?" Marissa asked again. She waited for a while for an answer but Alex stayed unmoved. She narrowed her eyes and checked again. She grabbed Alex's hand and placed it on her ass. She waited for a reaction but she got none. She smiled wider, convinced that Alex was already asleep. "This is probably the best time to tell you something." Marissa started as she moved even closer to Alex, careful not to move her feet to prevent Alex from waking up.

She positioned herself so their faces were level at each other. Marissa took a deep breath and cupped Alex's face with her hand. She gently traced Alex's lips with her thumb and licked her own lip. She brushed her nose on Alex's and took another deep breath.

Then she made her move.

She closed her eyes and leaned in. She kissed Alex softly. She missed the feeling of her soft lips on her, the sweet taste of it and the feeling it gave her. Even though Alex didn't kiss back, every bit of that kiss was amazing. She pressed on Alex a bit more, trying to memorize every feeling, every scent and every meaning behind their kiss. She moved back after a while before she lost control. She looked at Alex and was relieved that her best friend didn't move…her breathing stayed the same and her hand was still where Marissa had position them. Marissa kissed Alex's cheek on her way to Alex's ear.

"I'm madly in love with you"

Marissa kissed Alex again as she absently pressed the off button on the remote. The screen died down and the wall closed. She grabbed Alex's arm and gently positioned it so she could sleep on Alex's arm. She grabbed Alex's other arm and enclosed herself with it. She turned her back on Alex and moved backwards so their bodies were touching. Alex had her face nestled on Marissa's nape and her breathing kept giving Marissa shivers…the good kind. Marissa closed her eyes and wore the biggest smile on her face. She felt at ease surrounded by only Alex. She felt comfortable and soon she found herself falling asleep. She blinked a few times, trying hard not to fall asleep…but she did.

Marissa closed her eyes as she submitted. She weaved her fingers with Alex's as she wrapped herself tighter with Alex's arms. As Marissa's breathing became deeper, their bodies moved in rhythm together. Both of them were lost in their dream…neither barely moved.

But only one of them had her eyes closed.

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**Please please please tell me what you guys think of my story so far**

**I love reading reviews…good and bad…**

**I'll update when I get some free time**

**PEACE!**


	8. Resistance

_**First of, thanks for all the wonderful reviews**_

_**I really do read your feedback and consider your suggestions**_

_**I'm sorry it took me forever to update**_

_**I'm currently up to my neck with work and every time that I get a chance to update, it gets in the way**_

_**Anyway, here's another chapter**_

_**This was suppose to be longer than it really is but it got TOO long that I had to cut it**_

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Marissa slowly stirred under the sheets and smiled when she noticed that she was still wrapped around Alex's arms the way they had fallen asleep. She stayed motionless at first and tried to figure out whether Alex was already up or not. When she didn't feel Alex's breathing become irregular, she turned to her other side and faced Alex. Alex was still as peaceful as she last saw her. She smiled and stared at Alex for a while.

"What time is it anyway?" Marissa asked herself softly. She looked at the digital clock that Alex had on her side table and saw that it was 15 minutes before 6pm. "Hmm" That was all Marissa could say. She nuzzled between Alex's chin and her shoulder and closed her eyes again. She wrapped her arm around Alex, and made Alex move.

Marissa tried to move away slowly but Alex pulled her in a tighter embrace. Marissa smiled at Alex's actions and eased in into position. "What time is it?" Alex asked lazily. "It's almost 6" Marissa said softly. "Oh we still got - " Alex then realized what time Marissa just said. "It's 6 o'clock already?!" Alex's eyes shot open.

Alex began to sit up but Marissa prevented her and just pulled her back down. Alex watched as Marissa fixed their position once again. "I have a dress already anyway." Marissa said as she snuggled with Alex. Alex didn't know what to do. She was finding it hard to keep her emotions in tact.

"Um…Marissa…what are you doing?" Alex said as she tried to sound unaffected. "Why? Does this bother you?" Marissa said not wanting to move in her position. Alex took in a deep breath and knew whatever she did now would ultimately decide where their friendship will lead.

"With a girl like you, who needs a girlfriend…" Alex said as she kissed the top of Marissa's head. Marissa closed her eyes and tried to ignore what the other just said. Alex pulled her closer and took Marissa's scent in. They both closed their eyes again and eased into each other.

"Hey Alex…" Mrs. Kelly then opened the door and stopped where she stood. Alex and Marissa didn't even bother moving. "Sorry…I'll come back later" Mrs. Kelly then closed the door behind her and quickly…and happily…ran to Alex's dad's office. "Bob!" Alex heard her mom call out for her dad. She and Marissa laughed together.

"Did I ever tell you how much I love your mom?" Marissa said softly as her breath warm Alex's heart literally. Alex felt the electricity trickle down her spine and shuddered. She took a deep breath and whispered back. "About an 4-5 hours ago…but you know…you can say it over and over again."

Marissa pulled Alex closer to her and listened to her heartbeat. "Your heart is beating so fast" she teased Alex. "Yeah, cause they have to work extra hard for my blood to flow back to my brain." Alex said breathless. Marissa was hugging her too tight. They started laughing again and Marissa finally let go. Alex sat up and caught her breath. She then looked at Marissa, who was still under her sheet, and lay, on her stomach.

"So…what do we do now?" Alex asked Marissa as they scooted closer to each other. "What do we do about what?" Marissa teased. Alex narrowed her eyes and slightly tilted her head to the side. _"About you and me…alone in my room…"_ Alex thought to her self. "You want to have dinner here or do you want to go out?" Alex said instead.

Marissa leaned back a bit and lifted an eyebrow. "I'm here in your room and we're all alone and all you can think of is having dinner?" "Well, I'm hungry…" Alex answered innocently. Marissa rolled her eyes, shook her head and stood up. She looked around to check if she left something and realized she didn't bring anything when she went to Alex's house. "I'm going home." Marissa said as she proceeded to Alex's door. "Okay" Alex said hiding her disappointment.

Marissa then quickly turned around and faced Alex. "Okay?! That's it? You're not  
stopping me?" "But you wanted to-" "I WANT YOU TO STOP ME!" Alex sat up at Marissa's sudden outburst. Marissa was huffing and puffing and she looked down. "You're not even the slightest bit interested in me anymore?" Marissa stopped herself from crying.

"Marissa…" "Are you in love with someone else?" Marissa interrupted Alex. Marissa asked in a more somber note. Alex was taken off guard but answered Marissa truthfully "No". "Are you still in love with me?" Marissa had to know. She was doing everything to make Alex remember how they both used to feel towards each other, how they flirted and teased each other. But Alex just stopped. Whenever they were making progress, she'd stop it and change another topic.

"I asked you something…" Marissa pressed Alex for an answer. Alex looked at Marissa and stayed quiet. Getting over the fact that they just couldn't happen was hard enough for Alex…she didn't want to go through that again. At the end of the day, Marissa was still with Chris and Alex was still alone, looking at the girl she loved from a distance.

Marissa got her answer but it wasn't the one she wished it would be. She turned around before any of them started to cry. Alex stayed still. She hated Marissa for making that decision for them a long time ago…but she hated herself more for letting Marissa make that decision for them.

_**----------------**_

_**Thanks again for reading this**_

_**Please please please send in your reviews**_

_**PEACE**_


	9. Unstoppable Force

**Please let me start by saying…**

**OLIVIA WILDE WAS BEYOND AMAZING LAST TUESDAY**

**A lot (negative) has been said about her but you can't deny that performance**

**OLIVIA WILDE was, is and will always be amazing in my book ;)**

**Now onto BALCONY**

**Sorry I haven't had much time sending my **_**personal **_**appreciation to everyone who commented on the last chapter**

**Hence, I will do it here…**

**RachelsCat – **I'm sorry if Alex didn't run after Marissa…I know I would've…but Alex has her reasons which you (and everybody) will find out

**.princess – **I think chapter will make up for Alex not running after Marissa…

**hopelessxlove **– here's the update, you and everyone's been waiting for

**teriyakiskater **– the heart is such a fragile thing…but with the right person, it mends fast as well…

**The Bleach Guardian's Heart **– I hope I deliver your _'thanksgiving break'_ fix ;)

**vero – **thanks for sending in your review, I hope this chapter will help you change your mind over Marissa…

_**BIG HOLLER **_**to all those who sent in their reviews before as well**

_**thefrick, putteiblabarsskogen, Blackknight009, AlexJotkoff, tortured2, bdragon, orgy123, malex4ever, Miss-Anonymous123, haelthy, GreysAnatLuver, Plethora Macadamia, Icechikk10, Jdevilray62, sprouts, WhiteDude, Anon, izzienkate, fatedcircle26, oxxie10, nickel and Unknown lazy ass**_

**Really appreciate it you guys**

**Now no more holding the story back**

**Enjoy…I hope…**

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The hours flew like minutes and soon it was already Monday before the prom. Alex and Marissa haven't spoken a word to each other since Alex let Marissa walk out of her room. They've been avoiding each other at school and at home. Marissa was always hanging out with Chris, which was also getting in Chris' nerve how Marissa was so clingy, and Alex would spend all her time training, endorsements and doing school work.

At school, Alex and Marissa would always run into each other at the hall. They tried to not look at the other but Marissa couldn't help herself. She watched as Alex passed by her and not even gives her a glimpse. She knew Alex saw her looking but was crushed when the tennis star wouldn't even glance back at her. She'd watch Alex as she turned the corner to her next room, or to the library, or to the tennis court, or to wherever she was going. She just seemed to always be busy.

Then during the last period of the day, the only class she and Alex had together, Marissa would look to her right and see Alex, listening to the teacher and writing something in her notebook. She'd smile sadly at her best friend and hoped that this time, Alex would turn her attention to her and give her a sign that she had missed her too.

But Alex didn't. She just gave her the cold shoulder and never even budge. Then she looked at Chris, her boyfriend. He was sitting to her left and was half listening to their teacher and half sleeping…a craft he and his friends mastered.

"As for the week's project, since I've been grilling you for most of the year, you'd have the choice of working alone or with a partner of your choosing." Their professor said as he turned his back on the class to write the details of their paper.

"You all know that prom is coming up and coincidentally, I am the adviser for the prom committee, you would all be making a paper about the prom. How you bought the perfect shoe…or looking for the perfect dress…or for the guys…how you could trash the prom, which I strongly suggest you don't." The guys then slumped on their seats. They knew their teacher had screwed them again.

"I'll give you the final 10 minutes of the class to formulate ideas and/or find a partner. Then you can go. I'll be seeing you guys again Friday for updates about your paper" Their professor then listed the specifications of their paper and left the class.

Marissa watched as Alex hurried to gather all her stuff in her backpack. She also watched as Jessica made her way to Alex. She knew what her rival wanted…because that was what she wanted to do as well.

"Hey Alex" Marissa said out of the blue. Alex looked to her left and saw Marissa standing close to her. Marissa felt her voice lose out on her. Alex took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak. "Alex, do you want to work together for the paper?" Alex and Marissa looked to where the question came from.

JESSICA.

Alex rolled her eyes. She looked at Jessica then at Marissa. She shook her head and grabbed her bag from behind her chair. She passed between the two, not speaking a word to any of them. Jessica watched as Alex walked out on them. "I guess that's a 'no'." Marissa ignored Jessica and grabbed her stuff. She immediately ran after Alex.

"Alex, wait!" Marissa called out for Alex. The hallway was empty and quiet…Alex knew she had no choice but to stop. "What do you want?" Alex said keeping her back on Marissa as she stood in place. Marissa stopped instantly as Alex spoke to her. It was the first time that Alex had raised her voice at her in anger.

"I thought so" Alex said before picking up her stride again. Marissa shook off her gaze and quickly ran to Alex again. She caught up with her just before Alex got inside her car. She quickly stood in front of Alex and blocked her from opening the car door. Alex rolled her eyes again and raised her hands in surrender. Marissa quickly grabbed the keys from Alex's hand and hid her hands behind her. "Give it back" Alex said as she tried to take her keys back.

"Marissa stop being a kid, give it back." Alex kept trying and didn't notice that she already was pinning Marissa on the side of her car. Marissa was smiling and adored how persistent Alex was when she wants something…she too didn't notice their awkward situation.

Marissa was doing a good job at winning this short game that she was playing with Alex. She couldn't stop the laughter from coming out of her.

Alex was, at first, hell-bent on getting back her keys but soon she found her self smiling and realized how silly they were acting. She stopped getting her keys and placed her hands on the top of her car. She leaned her forehead on Marissa's shoulder and began laughing with her best friend.

Alex and Marissa both regained their breaths. "If I knew I'd be able to spend time with you again, I would have stolen your keys earlier." Marissa said as she steadied her breathing. Alex calmed down and tried to get her keys again…which caused her to press her body against Marissa. "Still not giving me my keys?" Alex said with an eyebrow raised.

Marissa slowly shook her head and let Alex try and take the keys from her. Marissa knew if Alex really wanted to get the keys, she would have taken them already. But Alex didn't. She smiled even wider at the thought that ran through her mind. _Alex wanted this to happen too._

Alex finally grabbed Marissa's wrist. She pinned Marissa some more against her car and held her hands behind Marissa. "Finally" Alex said almost to a whisper. They kept their eyes on each other. Marissa knew Alex could feel her heart beating.

"I'm sorry" Alex whispered. Marissa managed to get her hands free and immediately wrapped her arms around Alex's neck. They leaned their foreheads together as they fought hard to resist their feelings for one another. "This week was the longest week of my life" Alex continued feeling bad on the way she acted towards Marissa.

Marissa simply nodded. Her words have betrayed her before. She learned better and kept her mouth closed to let the moment happen. She leaned back to look at Alex's sorry expression. She smiled as she read her _best friend's _mind. _"I love the way she looks at me." _Marissa thought to herself.

"Promise me we'd never avoid each other longer than 3 seconds" Marissa pleaded jokingly. They smiled and Alex nodded slowly. The past few days made Alex realize that no matter how much she suppressed her feelings for Marissa, they'll just keep coming back stronger than before. She knew fighting it would be pointless. She just simply love her.

Marissa tucked the lose hair behind Alex's ear and cleared the tennis star's face. She traced Alex's jaw line with the tips of her finger and then cupped Alex's face on one side. Alex leaned into the hand and cover Marissa's hand with hers. The touch made Marissa jump in her skin. She missed the softness of Alex's hand and the love her eyes were telling her. No matter how many times she rejected Alex, she still saw the intensity of Alex's passion in them.

Alex looked at Marissa's face. _"She got more beautiful" _Alex said to herself. She watched as Marissa looked at Alex's lips and licked her lips a few times, unconsciously, wanting them to touch again. Alex felt out of breath as her excitement overcame her. She could feel their heart beat together. She could see they wanted the same thing. As they drew closer together, they could almost taste the other. This moment was going to happen and there was nothing that can stop them now.

"Wait"

Alex opened her eyes and looked at Marissa. Marissa smiled slowly before she opened her eyes. "We can't do this here" Marissa added. Alex grinned and kissed Marissa's forehead. "Okay" Alex whispered as she cooled her emotions down.

Alex took her keys and opened the door for Marissa. Alex got in the driver's seat and turned the ignition on. She grabbed the stirring wheel then took a deep breath. She looked at Marissa as Marissa placed her hand on Alex's thigh.

"Your place or mine?"

**--------------------**

**HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY!!!**

***I can't say the same for the poor turkeys though***

**please please please send in your reviews**

**THANKS(giving)**


	10. Distraction

_**- To those who sent in their reviews…THANKS A WHOLE BUNCH**_

_**- I am really sorry I have been busy the whole week and I didn't have much time to edit this chapter. However, I could not make you guys wait any longer.**_

_**I believe this week will be lighter so I might have an update by the weekend**_

_**- um, I moved this fic to M just to make sure…**_

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Alex parked her car in its usual place and opened the door for Marissa again. Marissa didn't waste a minute and immediately kissed Alex as she stepped off the car. Alex welcomed the pleasant surprised and immediately wrapped her arms around Marissa's waist. Marissa turned and pinned Alex to her car. Alex smiled into the kiss. Marissa then grabbed handfuls of Alex's shirt and started to step back. She pulled Alex with her to keep their lips from separating.

Marissa walked blindly towards the gate between their houses and peaked several times to check where they were going. Alex felt her back crash on the wooden door that blocked the path between her house and Marissa's. Marissa pressed her body some more towards Alex as she let her hand find the knob to open it. When she did, she immediately opened it and caused them to fall on the ground with Alex at the bottom.

Breathless, their lips still didn't separate. Marissa straddled Alex and positioned herself so she could sit on Alex's tone abs. Alex ran her hands down and rested them on the outside of Marissa's thighs. Marissa moaned as Alex slowly gently massaged her. Marissa searched for the bottom of Alex's shirt. Her warm hands cooled and rested on Alex's stomach. She could feel Alex sweat and smiled when she felt Alex's heart thump as she touched her bare skin.

Marissa was losing patience with Alex's shirt and knew if she didn't take them off now, she'd ripped it in two. Their lips separate as Marissa pulled the cloth off of Alex. Alex tried to capture Marissa's lips again but she couldn't find it anymore. She opened her eyes and saw Marissa smiling down at her.

"What?"

Alex smiled back as she slowly and teasingly made her way towards Marissa's ass. Marissa giggled as Alex landed. She grabbed Alex's hands and placed them above Alex's head making Alex completely defenseless against her.

Marissa bent down and kissed Alex's cheek. Alex giggled and let her breathing calm down. Marissa then made her way to Alex's ear and gently nibbled it. Alex tilted her head as shivers went down her spine. Marissa let go of her ear and breathed into her. "You need to know something Alex. You may be a bad ass on the tennis court, but I still have control over you" Marissa whispered.

Alex closed her eyes as she let Marissa tease her some more. Marissa let Alex's hands go and let Alex's hand have her way on her. Alex ran her hands down slowly on Marissa's back and stopped when she felt the smooth skin of Marissa's lower back. Her hands crept their way down and felt the top of Marissa's skinny jeans.

Alex then ran her hands down Marissa's thighs to her knees then on the grass that she was lying on. She propped herself up a bit so their face were just a few centimeters away. "What do you plan to do with me then?" Alex dared Marissa.

Marissa smiled devilishly and leaned in again to kiss Alex softly and gently this time. Marissa thought their lips could use a bit of a break. She balanced her weight on her knees and one hand as her right hand slowly pushed Alex down to the ground again. She felt Alex's heart beat faster and faster and she liked the idea that it was her doing that.

Alex let her hands rest on Marissa's lower back and gradually made their way inside Marissa's shirt. Marissa placed her hand on Alex's hands as they continue to kiss. She pulled her shirt and hinted to Alex that she wanted the tennis star to take it off her. Alex got the message and slowly started to pull the shirt off Marissa.

Just as Alex was about to really take the shirt off, they both heard voices inside Marissa's house. They tried to ignore it at first but Marissa heard her mother talking inside. They immediately separate. "Somebody's home?" Marissa asked Alex as if her best friend knew her family better than her. Alex just shrugged and propped herself up again to look at the window to the Cooper's breakfast table. Marissa immediately pushed Alex back on the grass.

"Stay down, bitch" Marissa teased as she gave Alex a quick kiss…making sure Alex knew she was not done with her yet. Alex laughed silently and raised an eyebrow. "You're talking dirty to me now?" Alex said softly not wanting herself to be heard by Julie.

Marissa felt herself blush. She didn't mean to be so naughty but she loved how Alex just brought that out of her. "Don't make me feel bad about it" Marissa whispered and pleaded towards Alex. Alex grabbed Marissa's hand that was on her heart and kissed Marissa's palm. "Oh please don't stop…I like it" Alex winked before she rested on her back on the grass again.

Alex watched as Marissa tried to figure out who was with her mom. The voice belonged to a man, that they both figured. Alex looked at Marissa as the curiosity in her best friend's face turned into confusion. Alex then figured out what Marissa had already found out. Her mom was with somebody else and it wasn't her dad.

"Who is mom with?" Marissa asked to herself more than to Alex. Alex just shrugged as she placed a supportive hand on Marissa's thigh. Marissa forgot for a moment that Alex was there beneath her but smiled at Alex's reassurance.

Marissa kissed Alex's forehead before standing up. Alex took a deep breath, figuring the progress of their relationship will have to wait…again. Alex looked around and grabbed her shirt before standing up. She put them on as she crawled backwards to get free from under Marissa's stance. She got up and stood beside Marissa. She shifted her attention from Marissa to the inside of the Cooper's house.

"What is going on? Who is he?" Marissa begged Alex for an answer. She watched as her mother act strangely towards the other man. She saw her mom lean in and kiss the guy in front of her. She grabbed Alex's hand and squeezed it tightly. Alex pulled her closer and covered Marissa's eyes. She hugged her and turned Marissa so she could see no more.

"Alex…what is going on?" Alex heard the break in Marissa's voice. "Let's go to my house…" Alex whispered back as she kept the details of what was happening with her mom. She wanted to spare Marissa from the pain. Alex slowly backed down towards the gate that they crashed in a while ago. When they stepped inside Alex's side of the fence, Alex held Marissa closer as she closed the gate in front of her making sure Julie would hear it and stop whatever she was doing.

**------------------------**

_**- Once again**_

_**Thanks for all the support this fic is getting**_

_**YOU GUYS ROCK!!!**_

_**Can't wait for HOUSE…**_

_**-Please please PLEASE send in your reviews**_

_**THANKS**_

_**PEACE**_


	11. Momentum

_**~o~ THANKS FOR ALL THE GREAT REVIEWS ~o~**_

_**-- Sorry I haven't sent a personal note to everyone who gave their feedback but I really do appreciate them a lot**_

_**-- As promised, here's the weekend update…**_

_**--------------------**_

Alex watched as Marissa looked out Alex's balcony and to her house. Julie's visitor was still there and Marissa wanted to know exactly what was going on. "Maybe it's better if you sit here beside me?" Alex suggested as she fixed a space beside her on her bed. "Who is that guy? How long has she been cheating on my father?" Marissa asked Alex. Alex took a long breath and exhaled. "I'm as clueless as you are. Why don't you just come here…" Alex suggested again.

Marissa turned around and looked at Alex. "Sleeping with you is the farthest thing on my mind" Marissa said frustrated. Alex just smiled at her and stood up. Alex too didn't want to sleep with Marissa…well…not this moment.

"I can think of other things than to sleep with you, Marissa." Alex said as she approached the upset girl. Marissa returned her attention to her house and faced her back on Alex. Alex stood behind Marissa and wrapped her arms around Marissa's waist but Marissa just got her self free from it.

"Okay…I'll just sit on my chair and wait until you've cooled down. Then we can talk." Alex said as she walked away towards her computer to wait patiently for Marissa to get less upset. She turned it on and played Tomb Raider silently.

Marissa stood on the balcony and kept an eye on both her mother and 'guest' as he gave Julie a kiss on the cheek before he went in his car. Marissa clinched her fist in anger. Julie had a smile on her face as she returned back inside the house. She then looked around the house to double check everything. Just when she thought she had hidden everything, she saw Marissa looking outside Alex's balcony. Her smile soon faded and she quickly ran outside to begin to explain to Marissa. But Marissa had seen enough…the cheating, the guilt…she was not going to let her mom get away with it.

Marissa walked back in Alex's room and closed the balcony door. She walked across Alex's room and got out without even saying a word to Alex. Alex just watched her leave. She knew what Marissa was going to do and she knew she needed to do that on her own.

~o~o~o~

Julie was pacing in Marissa's room and waited until her daughter arrived. It was early enough that Kaitlyn and Jimmy would not be home yet and she could have a one on one talk with her daughter. Marissa stormed in her room knowing that Julie was in there.

"How could you do that to dad? He has done nothing wrong!" Marissa fired at Julie. "Don't act so self-righteous, Marissa. I know what you're doing with Alex and Chris." Julie fired back at Marissa.

Marissa was taken a back by what Julie had said. She didn't even think of what she was doing until Julie pointed it at her. "You're turning this conversation into my faults rather than yours?! I am not cheating here under the reality of a marriage!" Marissa blamed it back to Julie.

"Cheating is cheating, Marissa! You figure out what you want to do with yours and I'll deal with mine." Julie said as she stormed out of Marissa's door. Marissa had to give it to her mom. She was right…cheating is cheating…no matter the gravity.

She sat on the bed frustrated by the thought. She buried her face in her hands and began to sob. She cared for Alex, loved her greatly and she knew Alex felt the same. Nobody had touched her, held her, kissed her and looked into her eyes the way Alex did. Her best friend…

Best friend…

Marissa hated herself for constantly convincing herself that Alex was just her best friend. Why can't she admit to herself that Alex was more than that? She was who her heart always screams for but why was she still with Chris?

With the exception of cheating, Chris was great to her. He opened doors, pulled out chairs and surprised her with simple reminders of how much he adored her. Marissa admired how Chris was affectionate like that. She knew it was hard not to fall in love with a guy like him…tall, dark, athletic and rich…the all American boy. Alex would often tease Marissa about how they look like the cookie cut all-American couple. Deep down, she liked the idea of it too.

She looked up again and to her balcony door. She saw Alex watching helplessly towards her. Alex knew exactly what she was thinking. She had heard Marissa and Julie's conversation, involuntarily, through all their screaming. Her eyes welled up as well as she saw the puffiness in Marissa's eyes.

Marissa got up and walked to the open door. She stepped out a bit but stopped. She thought twice of her decision and changed her mind. She grabbed the knobs of both doors and looked down. She closed her eyes and avoided looking back at Alex. "Marissa…let's talk about." Alex pleaded but Marissa ignored her.

~o~o~o~

Alex sat in front of her computer, pretending to do something but all she could do was type Marissa's name over and over again. She would glance over her monitor to see what Marissa was doing but all she saw was a dark room. She waited patiently on Marissa. She knew deep down Marissa was going to talk to her before the night was over…she just wished it would be a good thing for the two of them.

Alex glanced over the side of her computer. _10:30pm._ She ran her hand in her hair and let her hair loose. She took in deep breaths and ignored her body's suggestion to sleep. She would stay up all night if needed. Alex's effort soon was rewarded.

Marissa opened her balcony door and revealed her slightly lit room. Alex immediately closed her laptop and walked to her balcony. She mirrored Marissa's stance as they stood on the doorframe of their balconies.

"Alex, I need to talk to you…" Marissa started with sadness in her voice. Alex immediately folded and rushed to go to her ledge. "Marissa, what we're doing is not wrong…" "It's not right either" Marissa interrupted Alex. Alex bowed her head and conceded.

"Whatever it is that we are doing, we have to stop it now before it gets too far" Marissa began saying. Alex turned her back on Marissa and hid her anger from Marissa. Marissa continued what she was saying before she lost her nerve and followed her emotions.

"I'm with Chris…" "THEN LEAVE HIM AND BE WITH ME!!!" Alex interrupted raising her voice. Marissa jumped in her skin and watched as the pain, disappointment and disbelief took over Alex eyes. Marissa felt her tears started flowing down her cheeks as Alex faced her.

"I'm committed to him…" "And you're not committed to me?" Alex asked Marissa…pleading her to take her side this time. "I love you and until you don't say how you feel about me, I am not going to change how I feel about you." Alex put the pressure on Marissa. She knew it was now or never for them…she also knew this would be their last chance.

"I love him." Marissa answered back. Alex turned to her side, placed her hands on her hips as she controlled herself. She prepared herself for the second part of what Marissa was going to say. "I can't leave him."

"But you can leave me…" Alex said softly but loud enough for Marissa to hear it. Alex felt her tears burn the side of her face and immediately wiped it away. She laughed at the sarcasm of the situation and faced Marissa again. She wanted Marissa to make sure of her decision.

"A week ago, you told me you were madly in love with me…" Alex stated. Marissa felt her heart sink as the memories of the weekend before the last immerged in her thoughts. "You were up" Marissa couldn't believe it. "I heard every word…I felt every touch…I tasted every kiss…from that moment on, I lived in a dream scared that one day you'd ask me to wake up from it." Alex stopped and let the words sink in to Marissa.

"I thought we were finally living OUR dream…" Alex faced Marissa again and took a deep breath. She watched as Marissa cried for her. "If you really want me to leave you…tell me this afternoon didn't mean anything to you. Tell me I'm just living MY dream. Tell me to wake up" Alex challenged Marissa to prove her wrong. "Tell me you want me to leave and I'll set you free…I'll cry my last tears for you and I'll let you go…" Alex felt her heart break. She didn't want to be the one to push Marissa into a decision but she knew Marissa had to make one soon.

Marissa closed her eyes and stopped herself from looking back at Alex. Saying those words to Alex hurt her greatly but felt it was the right thing to do. Earlier that night, Julie had told Jimmy about her affair and how she made her choice. Julie left an hour after dinner and got inside the car of her other man. Marissa saw her father broken for the first time. She saw the pain in his eyes when her mom had left. She saw how Jimmy broke his hand as he punched the marble kitchen counter in frustration…all because of infidelity. She didn't want to cause that much pain to anybody.

"I'm staying with him" Marissa said softly. Alex barely heard it but knew, the moment Marissa began speaking to her that night, she wasn't going to pick her over him. "That's bullshit! I don't believe you." Alex said as she turned to walk back to her room. She grabbed the knobs as she began to close the door behind her. She stopped when she heard Marissa speak again. "Just let me go Alex…" Marissa pleaded with tears in her eyes.

Alex stopped. Her whole world stopped. Her heart stopped. She bowed her head and took a deep breath. It was time to face reality again. "Is that what you really want?" Alex looked over her shoulder just enough to have Marissa in her peripheral vision.

"It's what I want" Marissa nodded and convinced herself. "Fine" Alex then turned around and held on to her doorknobs. "If that's what you want…I hope you and Chris have a wonderful life together…and that you don't think of me whenever you're with him" Alex said straight into Marissa's eyes. She wanted Marissa to feel the break in her heart. She also made sure that Marissa had to live with the fact that she was the one who turned the book over for them.

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_**-- Hope it wasn't too dramatic and you guys enjoyed it**_

_**-- Please please please send in your reviews**_

_**~o~ THANKS and PEACE ~o~**_


	12. Swing

**So sorry for the late update**

**But it's Christmas break now so I have time to update**

_**Big thanks to:**_

_**Jdevilray62, xm1ch1x, shassy25, fatedcircle26, Bleach Guardian, .princess, haelthy, teriyakiskater, orgy123, thefrick, hopelessxlove, Collis1onCourse,**_

…_**for sending in your reviews**_

**and for everybody else reading this**

**YOU GUYS ROCK MY SOCK!!!**

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"Honey, please eat." Chris said as he offered Marissa a spoonful of her lunch. Chris had ordered her favorite pasta in her favorite Italian restaurant. They had sneaked out of the school to go to their favorite place to date.

Marissa smiled sadly towards Chris and opened her mouth. It was a Friday and tomorrow was the prom night. Four days after Alex last spoke to her and saw her, she still haunted Marissa's thoughts. She'd wake up every night and look over her balcony door. Alex's balcony door has been closed for four days and the lights seldom opened in her room. Alex had managed to work around her schedule to get out of her classes with Marissa in such short notice and whenever Marissa would look for Alex during lunch in her usual spot, she'd see another one occupying it. She'd walk around the school in search for her best friend but she just simply couldn't. She tried to visit Alex in the court where she practiced but Alex changed her schedule every time.

In the end, Marissa did get want she wanted from Alex.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Chris suggested. He felt bad that Marissa and Alex ended their friendship because of their relationship. He felt a bit guilty over it but he did really love Marissa. He had learned about what had happen with Marissa's family and Marissa told him about her and Alex. If anybody would understand, it would be Chris.

"You want to talk to Alex?" Marissa asked her boyfriend. "Well, yeah…if that's what's going to make you smile again." Chris tried his best to make Marissa smile but all Marissa did was miss Alex. "You two couldn't stop arguing before, now you're practically building a bridge for us."

"She helped me with you…before. I think it's my turn to make it better for the two of you." Chris confessed. Even though they were each other's main rivals, they both had Marissa's best interest in mind. When Chris was caught carrying drugs in school, Alex helped him out and covered all the bases so that Marissa didn't have to learn about it. They also swore that they would both forget about the whole thing. Alex also helped Chris when he and Marissa had problems…which confused the three of them.

"I think what I did was irreparable." Marissa accepted the fact that she had broken the one relationship she thought could stand the test of time.

~o~o~o~

Alex walked around the campus and avoided the places and the paths that Marissa would probably be which led her to closets, boiler rooms and other parts of the school unknown to almost everybody.

She looked at her watch and saw that it was lunchtime. She also knew Marissa would be out with Chris which they usually do. _"God! They're so predictable."_ Alex thought to herself. She passed by the hallway, knowing the coast was clear. She had missed the hallways and familiarized herself with it again. She also saw the banners for the prom night tomorrow.

"Okay, now be careful…we don't want the banner to split in half a day before the prom." Alex looked behind her and saw a familiar face. Jessica was directing a couple of guys as they hanged the tarpaulin.

"_ENCHANTED"_

Alex read the title of their prom. Jessica could be the hopeless romantic sometimes. Alex walked back to Jessica. "And you couldn't come up with a better idea for a title" Jessica was pissed off with everybody blaming her for the cheap name. She turned around, took a deep breath and was ready to blow some steam. But she stopped when she saw Alex standing behind her.

Alex was wearing dark glasses, black jeans and a simple shirt. She blended in with the crowd…well except for the fact that everybody knows her. "Alex? Where have you been?" Jessica said as she wrapped her arms around Alex out of nowhere.

Alex got her balance as Jessica lunged to her. She was a bit unsure whether to hug back and was lucky the Jessica made that decision for her. "Marissa has been looking for you." Alex rolled her eyes as the sound of her name. It didn't come unnoticed.

"Best friend trouble?" Jessica said sincerely. Alex laughed at the concern and shook her head. She really didn't want to talk to anybody about it. "Do you still need help with setting up the gym for the masquerade ball? I'm free for this afternoon and tomorrow morning…if you need a hand…" "We always need a hand." Jessica didn't let Alex finish her sentence and just grabbed Alex by the arm. They walked side by side as Jessica told her what's still needed to be done.

~o~o~o~

Hours flew like minutes and soon Alex had to go back home again. She used to love going back home and watching Marissa through her balcony. Now, she dreaded it. She parked her car lazily on the driveway, exhausted by the things Jessica still needed help with. She hid her keys in her pocket and walked towards the dinning room. "Hi mom, I'm home. Boy, am I hungry…" Alex said as she stepped inside the room. What she saw made her stop in place.

"Hey honey, I hope you don't mind. I invited Jimmy, Marissa and Kaitlyn for dinner." Mrs. Kelly said having no clue that Alex and Marissa hadn't been speaking to each other lately. "You're always home late, honey. We were going to start without you." Mr. Kelly added with the same oblivion.

Marissa looked at Alex hopeful that, maybe this time, they'd move on again and forget what had happen. Alex was right. Marissa had regretted every single bit of that last argument they had. "Hey Alex…haven't seen you in school for four days" Marissa said nervously. She was still threading the waters.

Alex shook off from her daze and grabbed her normal seat…which was beside Marissa…like they always did. "I've been busy with stuff." Alex said as she answered flatly. Alex told herself not to look at Marissa…not even to peak. "With school?" Marissa wanted to prolong the conversation but Alex was determined to finish it as quickly as possible. "With stuff" Alex repeated bitterly. She didn't even look at Marissa while she answered.

"Okay, who's hungry?" Mr. Kelly asked as everybody eagerly raised their hands…all except Alex who just wanted dinner to be over and done with. Mrs. Kelly noticed Alex's sudden change. She watched as Alex subtly moved all her dinnerware a bit to the side to get more space away from her best friend.

"Honey, why don't you say grace…" Mr. Kelly asked his daughter. Alex took a deep breath and nodded. Mrs. Kelly extended her hands to Kaitlyn to her left and Marissa to her right. Mr. Kelly then mirrored his wife and held Alex and Jimmy's hands. Jimmy held on to Kaitlyn's and smiled. Marissa offered her hand to Alex and Alex looked at it for a while. She could feel everybody stare at them and their awkwardness to each other. Alex rolled her eyes and grabbed Marissa's hand.

As soon as their hands touched, Marissa felt the electricity jumpstart again. She missed the softness of Alex's hands, the warmth of her skin and the way it felt when they touched. Alex couldn't deny it as well. She felt the tips of her toes and fingers twitch at the sensation…but she was not going to show that. As far as she knows, Marissa asked her to stop her feelings for her and she was going to prove to herself, more than anyone, that she could do it on her own.

"Heavenly Father, thank you for the food we're about to share with the people surrounding us. Thank you for the blessings you have given us, for keeping us safe and protected. Thank you for the hands that we are holding tonight. May we always be enlightened and be grateful for the things we have. And please bless our food, may it feed not only our stomach but what we have missing. This we ask through Christ our Lord" "AMEN!" everybody said in unison after Alex gave the grace. They all slowly let go of each other's hand…all except Marissa.

Alex just looked at their hands. She felt her heart break all over again. Marissa leaned into Alex's ear and whispered. "Can we talk after dinner?" Marissa pleaded. Alex focused on her plate as their servers walked behind them offering them food, drinks and anything they might like. Marissa waited patiently for Alex's answer. She could tell Alex had left her family out of their situation, otherwise they wouldn't be there eating with them.

Alex closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She then turned and faced Marissa. "Sure" Alex was barely audible but to Marissa it was a scream of forgiveness. Marissa was elated. She felt her face form a smile.

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**As usual, please please PLEASE send in your feedback**

**I really appreciate them**

**They make me smile ******


	13. Our Story

**You guys didn't think that I'd let Christmas pass by without me giving you guys a little gift, did you?**

**THANKS FOR THE FEEDBACK AGAIN**

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"I know you've been avoiding me…" "I wasn't really hiding that fact." Marissa started before Alex interrupted her. Alex opened the door to her room and immediately, Marissa noticed the difference. Alex had removed almost all of their pictures together that used to occupy most of Alex's wall. Alex got inside her room and immediately went inside her walk-in closet to look for clean clothes.

"I'm taking a shower." Alex said as she went straight to her bathroom at the other end of closet. Marissa thought of following Alex to her bathroom, something she used to do, but decided to fight her urges. Marissa looked around and then to Alex's balcony door. She walked towards it and turned the knob. She frowned when she couldn't get it open.

"What are you doing?" Alex said as she dried her hair with a towel. She was wearing a big shirt and her boxers as she sat in front of her computer. She opened it and saw what she had been working on last night.

"Your balcony door is stuck." Marissa said as if Alex didn't know. Alex just reviewed the paper their professor told them to write and started typing. "Your room looks different" Marissa continued. She sat on the bottom edge of the bed and looked at Alex. She smiled at how Alex was so focused on what she was doing.

"I did some cleaning. You know, when you get you heart broken, kinda leaves you with this intense desire to do something." Alex said as she kept her eyes on her computer. Marissa rolled her eyes and grabbed a pillow from behind her. She threw it at Alex. Alex swiftly saved the paper, closed her laptop and caught the pillow before it hit anything.

"You throw like a girl" Alex teased. Marissa grabbed another pillow, bigger this time, and tossed it towards Alex again. Alex laughed and caught the pillow again. Marissa started to giggle again as she heard Alex laugh. She kept heaving pillows towards Alex but Alex always managed to catch it and set it on the floor.

When Marissa ran out of pillows, and the coast was clear, Alex threw a pillow back at her. She caught Marissa on her face and sent the other girl flat on her bed. Alex laughed louder as she walked towards Marissa. "You okay?" Alex asked as she got on her bed and assessed the situation. The throw was not hard but it was unexpected and the hit was accurate.

"Do you ever let me win?" Marissa asked as she caught her breath. She opened her eyes and saw Alex was near her again…on her bed. "What are you talking about…I always let you win. I left you and Chris alone…" Alex said as she lay on her back. She rested her head on both her hands and looked at the ceiling. Even though they tried to act like nothing happened between them, something did and that something has always been on the back of their heads.

"Alex…" Marissa started. She practiced this moment over and over for the past days and now she finally had the chance to deliver it. "I can live without somebody to love…" Alex looked to her best friend and let Marissa speak. "…But I can't live without a friend" Marissa finished as she placed a hand over Alex's heart.

"Tell me, Marissa…what does he have that I don't?" Alex had to know. "Besides the obvious?" Alex nodded. "Nothing" Marissa said truthfully. "So you picked him…over me…for nothing…" Alex took in another deep breath. She grabbed Marissa's hand that was over her heart and weaved their fingers together. "Sometimes, nothing can turn into something…"

"Alex…why do you have to be so nice to me?" Marissa thought out loud. Alex smiled sadly at her and stretched out her arm. Marissa took the queue and rested her head on it. Alex leaned her head on Marissa's and they both closed their eyes.

"Can I stay here tonight?" Marissa asked nicely. Alex let out a laugh and answered. "Of course…you can always stay here." Marissa felt her eyes starting to tear up. She tried to quickly control it but the tears slid down towards Alex's cotton shirt already. Alex felt the warmth of her tears and wrapped her arms around Marissa.

"You miss your mom?" Alex asked sincerely. Marissa shook her head as she controlled her tears. "I miss you…" Marissa whispered. Marissa looked up at Alex and wanted to see her reaction. Alex just looked back at her…the same look she always had when she looked at her. "I miss you too" Alex said sincerely. Marissa looked at Alex sadly and pulled the tennis star closer. Alex kissed the top of Marissa's head and Marissa closed her eyes as Alex's lips touched her. She missed being this close to somebody.

Marissa moved up so she was level with Alex. They looked at each other's eyes and Marissa took shallow breaths. Alex just smiled at her as she watched her breathed. Alex loved the peacefulness of Marissa's face when they're lying on her bed and everything was quiet. She cleared the hair off Marissa's face and tucked them behind her ear. "You look so tired." Alex whispered as Marissa slowly dozed off to sleep. Ever since her mom had left them, Marissa hasn't slept much. Now, in the arms of Alex, everything seemed so calm and serene.

~o~o~o~

Marissa woke up and stirred on the bed. She just had the most wonderful dream and smiled when she remembered it in her head. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it with her arms and legs. She was going back to sleep and hopefully continue her dream when she realized something…while she wrapped her arms around the pillow, somebody was hugging her as well.

"Can't sleep anymore?" Alex said softly on Marissa's neck. Marissa smiled wider. She let the pillow go and weaved their hands together. "Hmmm" Alex sighed as she pulled Marissa even closer. Marissa stopped herself from giggling like an excited little girl. She felt her heart beat faster and was chasing to catch her breath.

Marissa fought every urge of her to turn around and kiss Alex. She missed everything about her. She missed the hugging, the concern…and the love. Even though Alex was sweet to her, she knew if she made the move, Alex would be the one to turn her down. She couldn't take that kind of rejection…not from Alex.

Marissa kept her eyes open, scared that when she closed them, she'd wake up to reality again and Alex may not be there anymore. She held on to Alex's hands tighter, which caused Alex to open her eyes in concern. She knew Marissa had something on her mind. She waited until Marissa opened up to her again…she knew she would.

"Alex? You up?" Marissa asked, hopeful that Alex was asleep. "Is there any other way to answer that than a yes?" Alex said wittingly. Marissa missed that sarcasm too. She turned around and immediately Alex moved a good 12 inches away. Alex knew if she didn't she wouldn't be able to have enough time to think of what she was going to do if Marissa leaned in to her.

"What is it?" Alex was concern. Marissa looked at the dip of Alex's throat. She traced Alex's collarbone with her fingers and rested her hand over Alex's heart. She wanted to feel her heart beat again. "Do you think there's a chance for my mom and dad to be together again…for my family to be together again?" Alex swore she heard Marissa's heart break. She looked at her understandingly. "It's up to them, Marissa…" Alex didn't know what else to say. She didn't want to give Marissa false hope and she didn't want to be the one to break the bad news to her.

"Do you think she thinks about us?" Marissa asked Alex again. Alex really didn't know how Julie felt. She knew Marissa was just asking her to have some kind of reassurance. "20+ years is a lot to think about." Alex knew she could say that because it was true.

"You know, when I was a kid, my dad would tell me stories of how he couldn't understand why he puts up with mom. She's manipulative, insane and she always wants things to go her way. When my dad would speak, she'd almost always interrupt him." Alex listened to Marissa as she told her parents' story. Marissa kept her eyes on her hand that rested over Alex's heart.

"Sometimes we fall in love with people we don't plan to fall in love with." Alex tried to say something nice to try and make Marissa feel less bad. "You know what my dad said that helped him go through 20+ years with my mom?" Marissa smiled sadly as she looked up back at Alex's blue eyes. Alex waited patiently for Marissa to answer.

"He said though he really couldn't stand to be with my mom, he couldn't imagine his life without his best friend." Alex felt the air being taken away from her. Her heart just dropped when she heard Marissa's answer. She looked at Marissa and saw how desperately Marissa wanted to keep her tears from falling. Soon her efforts were proved to be pointless as tears started streaming down her face. Alex cupped Marissa's cheek with one hand as she wiped the tears with her thumb. Alex stared into Marissa's eyes and she saw something she never saw before.

"I'm scared that what happened to my parents will happen to us" Marissa said sincerely as she continued to cry. Alex pulled Marissa even closer as she comforted her. "Their story is not our story Marissa." Alex reassured Marissa. "And no matter how much you push me away, I'll always go back to you" Marissa nodded silently and rested her head on Alex's heart. She listened to it as the rhythm soothed her. When her breathing became normal, Marissa took one deep breath and whispered.

"I broke up with Chris" Marissa smiled as she looked back at Alex. "My heart only loves you"

~The End~

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**TO EVERYBODY who has read this story…**

**MY DEEPEST THANKS to you all**

**and MEIN SCHATZ, thank you for all the inspirations you bring to my life *hugs***

**Happy Holidays to EVERYBODY!**

…**until next time**

**PEACE!**


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